Gatwick staff to mentor Hazelwick School students as part of Dare to Dream programme

Staff from Gatwick Airport are supporting students from Hazelwick School in Crawley in the development of vital life skills, as part of Love Local Jobs Foundation’s Dare to Dream programme.

Starting on 11 November and running through the academic year, five Gatwick mentors will be working with 15 of the most disengaged Year 9 students on a one-to-one basis, to better support their pathway into the workplace.

Gatwick’s mentors, including a field engineer, security team manager, incident operations manager, retail operations manager and a firefighter, will be helping the students to develop vital life skills across self-awareness, resilience, employability and wellbeing, to prepare them for future careers and provide them with the experience, skills and confidence to fulfil their potential.

Melanie Wrightson, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Gatwick Airport said: 

“Dare to Dream is an incredibly inspiring programme to be partnered with and we are delighted that five members of Gatwick staff have the opportunity to support these local young people.

“It would be fantastic if the students are inspired to explore a future career at the airport – especially with so many potential exciting opportunities over the next decade – but hopefully this support from Gatwick mentors will provide them with the skills and experience to step into the workplace with confidence.”

Helen Block, Head of Year 9, Hazelwick School said: 

“Hazelwick School is thrilled to be working with the Love Local Jobs Foundation to inspire and motivate our Year 9 students at this important stage of their education. We are immensely grateful to the staff at Gatwick Airport who are giving their time to support our young people, helping them consider their future career prospects. Their knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our students, and we look forward to being part of this collaborative project.”

The Dare to Dream programme is currently operating across six local schools, including Hazelwick, The Gatwick School, St Wilfrid’s Catholic School, Ifield Community College, Oriel High and Thomas Bennett Community College, engaging a total of 1,200 secondary students.

The programme is being led by former Heart Sussex and current More Sussex radio presenter Jack ‘the Lad’ Hayes, who will be using his skills to engage with youth audiences and tell his own story.

Gatwick has previously taken part in other Love Local Jobs initiatives, including Be the Change, as part of its long-term commitment to the development of the skills and employment prospects of young people in Crawley.

The airport also hopes to support employment opportunities for future generations, through the creation of an additional 18,400 jobs if its plan to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use is successful.

Gatwick has started a 12-week public consultation on the plans, which closes on 1 December. Full consultation materials are available on the www.gatwickairport.com/futureplans web pages along with a virtual exhibition and an option to book a telephone surgery with project experts or to request a virtual briefing for local stakeholder groups.